Disclaimer:
I am not the creator of these characters. I am not Jeffery Eugenides nor am I Sofia Coppola. I am
merely a fan who decided to express the characters in my own way.
Lux's Thoughts On Dying
A long stretch of road on a deserted highway, tall, majestic pines standing proud on both
sides of the black pavement. A cool breeze fluttering through the car windows, the smell of those
pines tickling her nose.
Freedom.
How she longed for it.
Fourteen year old Lux Lisbon sat in the driver's seat of the reliable family car, dragging on
her fourth cigarette since she had climbed into the car.
Normally her mind was on big jumble of 30 or so thoughts, all running through her head at
warp speed. And they usually centered around the boys at school, and who she would be seeing that
night. Tonight however, was a different story.
Tonight there were only two things on her mind.
Cecilia was one. Her baby sister who had taken her own life the summer before.
The family had never truly recovered from Cecilia's suicide. Things had actually gotten much
worse, and Lux had never thought that that could have been possible.
Her mother was depressed all the time, and meaner than ever, especially to Lux. Her father
seemed to have lost his mind, having (on more than one occassion) been caught talking to the plants
at school. Her sisters had lost their love of living. Everything they did was mechanical.
Get up, have breakfast, go to school, come home, do homework, eat dinner, go to bed.
It was like some bad television rerun. One that you hate, but no matter what days you watch
your favorite show, that damn rerun was on instead.
As for Lux, well she had gotten even more wild than ever.
Lux sighed as she thought about Cecilia the summer that she died. She could easily picture
her sitting in the meadow, her brown hair tossing in the wind, barefoot and wearing that damn
wedding dress, writing in her journal as she got grass stains on the soft white fabric of her dress.
Not that she ever cared about grass stains.
"I wish I could have been more like her."
"I wish she had known how much I loved her."
Lux coughed, her chest clogged from the sickly sweet smell enfolding itself into the tiny car.
The second thing on her mind was freedom. Her and her sisters' freedom.
Soon they would be free. No matter parents, no more teachers, no more boys like Trip Fontaine
who had used her and left her on that football field like a ragdoll. Who had had his way with her and
then broken her heart.
No way. That was never going to happen again. She wouldn't hurt anymore.
The memories of Trip wouldn't hurt her and neither would the memories of Cecilia.
Lux coughed again.
"It wouldn't be long now", she thought. nd her thoughts turned to her sisters. How were they right
now? Where they still hanging on? Or were they already free? And what about the neighbor boys. She was
sad for a moment when she thought of them. She knew how much those boys were enamored with her and
her sisters. They would be devastated.
"Can't go back now. I can practically taste it." She thought, licking her lips.
Her head slid down the seat and rested on the side. She smiled slightly, thinking of all the summers
before. Before the whole mess had happened.
She smiled even wider as she thought of the trip her family had taken to see the whales. She remembered
how much Cecilia had said that they smelled, and how much they had laughed, and just how truly happy they
had been.
And that's how they found her.
Her hand lifelessly dangled out the window, her cigarette still clutched between her fingers. It was such
a sad, pathetic sight. But the expression on her face was truly amazing. It was one of pure enchantment. And
everyone knew that wherever she was, she was truly happy because her one wish had finally been fulfilled.
She had her freedom.
I am not the creator of these characters. I am not Jeffery Eugenides nor am I Sofia Coppola. I am
merely a fan who decided to express the characters in my own way.
Lux's Thoughts On Dying
A long stretch of road on a deserted highway, tall, majestic pines standing proud on both
sides of the black pavement. A cool breeze fluttering through the car windows, the smell of those
pines tickling her nose.
Freedom.
How she longed for it.
Fourteen year old Lux Lisbon sat in the driver's seat of the reliable family car, dragging on
her fourth cigarette since she had climbed into the car.
Normally her mind was on big jumble of 30 or so thoughts, all running through her head at
warp speed. And they usually centered around the boys at school, and who she would be seeing that
night. Tonight however, was a different story.
Tonight there were only two things on her mind.
Cecilia was one. Her baby sister who had taken her own life the summer before.
The family had never truly recovered from Cecilia's suicide. Things had actually gotten much
worse, and Lux had never thought that that could have been possible.
Her mother was depressed all the time, and meaner than ever, especially to Lux. Her father
seemed to have lost his mind, having (on more than one occassion) been caught talking to the plants
at school. Her sisters had lost their love of living. Everything they did was mechanical.
Get up, have breakfast, go to school, come home, do homework, eat dinner, go to bed.
It was like some bad television rerun. One that you hate, but no matter what days you watch
your favorite show, that damn rerun was on instead.
As for Lux, well she had gotten even more wild than ever.
Lux sighed as she thought about Cecilia the summer that she died. She could easily picture
her sitting in the meadow, her brown hair tossing in the wind, barefoot and wearing that damn
wedding dress, writing in her journal as she got grass stains on the soft white fabric of her dress.
Not that she ever cared about grass stains.
"I wish I could have been more like her."
"I wish she had known how much I loved her."
Lux coughed, her chest clogged from the sickly sweet smell enfolding itself into the tiny car.
The second thing on her mind was freedom. Her and her sisters' freedom.
Soon they would be free. No matter parents, no more teachers, no more boys like Trip Fontaine
who had used her and left her on that football field like a ragdoll. Who had had his way with her and
then broken her heart.
No way. That was never going to happen again. She wouldn't hurt anymore.
The memories of Trip wouldn't hurt her and neither would the memories of Cecilia.
Lux coughed again.
"It wouldn't be long now", she thought. nd her thoughts turned to her sisters. How were they right
now? Where they still hanging on? Or were they already free? And what about the neighbor boys. She was
sad for a moment when she thought of them. She knew how much those boys were enamored with her and
her sisters. They would be devastated.
"Can't go back now. I can practically taste it." She thought, licking her lips.
Her head slid down the seat and rested on the side. She smiled slightly, thinking of all the summers
before. Before the whole mess had happened.
She smiled even wider as she thought of the trip her family had taken to see the whales. She remembered
how much Cecilia had said that they smelled, and how much they had laughed, and just how truly happy they
had been.
And that's how they found her.
Her hand lifelessly dangled out the window, her cigarette still clutched between her fingers. It was such
a sad, pathetic sight. But the expression on her face was truly amazing. It was one of pure enchantment. And
everyone knew that wherever she was, she was truly happy because her one wish had finally been fulfilled.
She had her freedom.